I’m learning drive-thru at work.  In the name of accuracy, I guess I should say I’m fine-tuning and building confidence in drive-thru.  I’ve known the mechanics for a year now.  But one of the mechanics is running 4 lanes, usually by yourself and that takes confidence and practice.

Up until now, I’d been mostly avoiding, though capable of filling in, because I didn’t like being back there.  You’re by yourself.  Then even when you have a customer there is no face to face.  You have layers of glass and steel and nothing but an intercom and a tube.  I do my best face to face.  I may or may not flirt with dirty old men.  Fine, not dirty.  Just clean old men.

So when we lost one of our two drive-thru girls and a volunteer was asked for, I made my wish not to be picked known.  But drive-thru is hard and intimidating and so few actually like it.  So it was decided there would simply be rotations.  This Monday I was greeted by my teller supervisor with the news that he had something to tell me that I wouldn’t like.  This was to be my first rotation.  I shrugged.  I knew it was coming.  And?  I was in the mood to hide from people.

Two days in I think it’s been decided that I’m a permanent solution.  First off, I like it more than I thought I would.  It helps I can kick off my shoes, turn on some tunes, and dance barefooted between customers.  (I’m joking if you are the signer of my paycheck!  Don’t check the cameras!)  And as far as the stress of maintaining 4 lanes at once, and they can fill up fast, goes: I strive and thrive under pressure.  The more people waiting, the better I do.  I buckle down, stop thinking start working and the only car that exists is the car belonging to the tube in my hand.  (Not true.  I can greet and send out deposit tickets, withdraw slips and pens to as many people as needed all at once.  Keeps things moving and doesn’t distract from my current transaction in progress.)  I can out of the corner of my eye track the order tubes appear, to be sure I’m getting people in the order in which they were ready (not always the order they drive up in) and shit gets done.  One tube at a time, one car at a time.

I will toot my own horn and say thus far it’ll take a few more lanes, at once, to really phase me.  Will I turn down help from the teller line when I have a lineup and they are slow?  No.  But hey, this line up doesn’t involve keeping children happy so that Holiday portraits aren’t a royal mess.  Piece of cake!

Nothing has been formally decided.  We still need to see what this does to my scores as far as customer service surveys go.  But if I can maintain the 5 stars I’m rocking from back there, then we might as well.  I’ve got the cool and calm exterior.  The branch has the need.  And I’m learning that as long as people come back from time to time to show me signs of life outside my little room, I’m perfectly capable of being content back there.  So my sources say there is a good chance you’ll need to stop by my drive-thru to say hi from time to time.  I’ll send you out a lolly, though, if you’re nice.